Three traumatised lions entered Israel from Gaza today on their way to a safer home in Jordan after their zoo was largely destroyed during bomb attack, resulting in the death of a lioness.

Austrian veterinarians from international animal welfare group Four Paws transferred the animals from the Al-Bisan zoo in the Gaza Strip to a zoo in Amman and obtained special permission to pass through Israel.

Amir Khalil of Four Paws said the lions - two males and a female - were in desperate need of help after their zoo came under heavy fire during the 50-day conflict, which ended with an August 26 ceasefire.

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Three traumatised lions are being taken to Jordan from Gaza after their home was destroyed during the conflict in the Palestinian enclave, killing a lioness in the process

The lions were said to be 'stressed, violent and afraid of the slightest movement', following the bombings

Rescue staff prepare one of the lions to be transferred from the Al-Bisan City tourist village zoo to Jordan

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The Al-Bisan zoo had four lions before the conflict but one of them - a female - was killed by Israeli bombardment.

Mr Khalil said vets had treated several animals that will remain at the zoo who had suffering from a lack of food and water. They also removed shrapnel from the bodies of several dead animals.

The zoo is hoping to rebuild its lion enclosure so the animals can one day return to Gaza but no potential date has been decided.

The Al-Bisan zoo had four lions before the conflict but a lioness was killed by Israeli bombardment

The zoo was built by the Islamist Hamas government in 2008 to give Gazans some relief from the conflict

International animal welfare group Four Paws were in charge of transferring the animals from the zoo and obtained special permission to pass through Israel

The lions were caught in the crossfire during a conflict that killed more than 2,140 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and 73 on the Israeli side, almost all soldiers. The conflict is estimated to have caused around £6 billion in damages.

The zoo - part of Al-Bisan City - was built by the Islamist Hamas government in 2008 as a tourist village to give Gazans some relief from the hardships of life in the Strip.

The animals were all smuggled through tunnels that connected Egypt to Gaza, before the passages were shut last year with the ousting of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.

Concerns have previously been raised about the welfare of animals at the zoo, especially given Gaza's limited resources.

Last year two lion cubs died there shortly after birth due to a lack of experienced vets, food and medicine.